Flooring



Aug. 2, 1927. 1,637,634

c. J. CARTER FLOORING Filed Feb.28, 1927 l gull' W/x w vzw /7 INVENTOR Patented Aug. 2,y 1927.

PATENT OFFICE.

J'. CARTER, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

FLOORING.

Application tiled February 28, 1927. Serial No. 171,422.

This invention relates to flooring and more articularly to the class of ooring manuactured in sections for shipment, assembly and installation. on a iioor.

- Flooring of this character has been produced with floor blocks having vertically dis osed fibres, a unit for shipment and insta lation consisting of a string or series of blocks with longitudinal side grooves cut l0 inthe constituent blocks to receive splines that join adjacent units to produce a substantial floor. Horizontal transverse reresses are provided in selected blocks into which nails are inserted at the factory, the

oints embedded in the wood, the nails to be driven to their calculated limit of travel to secure ad'acent units to ether when units are installed. Flooring o this character is disclosed in my prior Patents No. 1,412,506,

April 22, 1922and No. 1,507 ,813, September The object of this invention is to provide a unit capable of com rising a larger nurnber of iioor blocks t an present practice contemplates, which may oer advantages for shippin installation and wear, and

which woul provide opportunity for supplying a commodity, having a larger propor tion of its laid area factory-prepared. In

accomplishing this object I also have effecti ed other improvements in the art, which will be disclosed in the course of the description.

I offer as embodying my invention, a unit or section of iiooring composed of floor blocks dove-tailed together and provided with transverse grooves angularly disposed, nails inserted in the grooves and driven intol the blocks to be driven to their limit upon installation of a unit in a iioor to enter an adjacent unit and so secure ,the two unts together in the improved manner to be detailed.

These and other novel features of my 1n vention will be more particularly described with reference to the drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portion pf a flooring installation 'constructed with units of my invention.

-Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the floor taken through the spline grooves.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a typical section or unit.

Fig. 4 is a pers ective view of typical individual blocks o which the members of a unit are comprised.

Referring in detail to the drawings:

1 designates a tenoned block member of a unit of flooring, having a crossrained top face 2 indicating the vertical direction of wood fibres in a block positioned for functioning, a side 3 having a substantially rectangularly horizontal groove 4 and the dovetal tenons or tongues 5 projected horizontally from the side 6. The end 7 of the block is smooth, and is designed and ada ted for close abutment tothe opposite end o a similar block 1, a ,string or series of blocks 1 being juxtaposed for engagement b means of features mentioned as will be re ated to a similar series of blocks 8. A block 8 has the same general features as a block 1, that is, its fibres vertical, and it has the same sort of top face 9 and smooth end 10 as block 1, it is of the same size and shape as block 1, the difference being that a side 11 o block 8 is provided with dovetal mortises or grooves 12 ada ted to receive the tenons of a block 1 by orizontal slidin engagement and alignment of two such b ocks. The opposite side 13 of a block 8 is rovided with a horizontal groove 14 simi ar to the groove in block 1, though oppositely disposed on the block Two types of blocks, 1 and 8, having been provided, a unit of my design is assembled y projecting the tenons of a suitable number of blocks 1 into the mortises of a suitable number of blocks 8, in such order or arrangement as may be most convenient, to produce a desired section such as designated 15 on the drawings. The line or series of blocks of one type is offset from the other, so that the blocks are staggered, and a block 8 locks two blocks 1. Similarly the tenons of a block 1 being engaged with the rooved portions of parts of two blocks 8, a lock 1 locks two `blocks 8, the interlocking cooperating to effect a substantial union of the two series of blocks.

I provide now, as an element of a unit 15, 100

and for its association with the other units in a flooring installation, the connector member 16 which is simply a nail driven at a peculiar and carefully calculated angle into a unit to hold two series of blocks more firmly together, and to provide ameans for securing two units together. .The position of a nail 16 in a unit is determined by the location of recesses 17 designed to receive the nails, and provided in a predetermined number and proportion of blocks 8, roduced horizontally and angularly exten ing into the block, and by such selective provision, spacing the nails 16 along thev side of a unit 15 representing the sides 13, namely the grooved sides of the blocks 8.

The angular positioning of a nail is ar'- ranged for so .that a maximum of etciency for the engagement of the nail in the blocks may be provided for. A nail, driven into the blocks on a horizontal diagonal, penetrates substantially the lon est possible horizontal line from side to si e of a block, and by emerging from a block 8 on a long diagonal perforation, obviously, because of the staggered construction, enters a block 1 in such a manner as to penetrate it also on a long diagonal. Such positioning of the pails also causes them to avoid grooving penetration of a joint or the introduction of a nail point in such joint and between blocks.

A recess 17 is provided directed as a nail is to be directed When driven through adjacent blocks and units to connect units in a laid flooring. Upon assembly of the blocks at the factory the tvvo series orstrings of blocks 1 and 8 are secured together by the dovetailing described and by the insertion of the nails in spaced selected blocks 8, and the driving of the nails, diagonally, into adjacent blocks 1 but not to the limit of travel of a nail nor to the opposite side 3 of a block 1. The result of such partial projection of the nails to hold the parts of a unit is shown in Fig. 3, Where it is observable that a nail 1s inserted through the groove 14 of a block 8, and that its head is sunk Within the facev of side 13 of the block. An additional joining element is provided, comprising aV spline 18 seatable in the allgned grooves 4 of a string or series of blocks 1 of a unit 15, and co-operatively seatable in the aligned grooves 14 of a string of blocks 8 of another unit positioned adjacent the first named unit on a iioor, as observable 1n Fig. 1, the splines being introduced into the grooves 14 after the nails have been driven home, andtheir heads removed from the said grooves. Y

Fig. 2 illustrates' the manner in which the provislon of nails as describedv permits of effective securin of units to units. A unit having been laid, and the nails it holds driven to their limit, a spline installed, and a second unit having been attached' to the i first laid unit by the spline, a nail held by Y I have illustrated and described my invention as exemplified in Wooden floor blocks assembled into units of flooring though the principles thereof may be used in connection with other forms and materials.

What I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. As an article of manufacture, a section of flooring comprising mated members dovetailed together and composed of blocks, the blocks of one member staggered with reference to the blocks of the other member, and means for securing one section with another to form a floor.

2. As an article of manufacture, a unit comprising paired strings of blocks, the strings having grooves on their opposite faces, a spline to be received by opposed grooves of units assembled in a floor, and means for securing one unit to another.

3. As an article of manufacture, a section of flooring comprising mated members dovetailed together and composed of blocks, the

*blocks of one member staggered with reference to the blocks of the other member,.the members having longitudinal grooves in their opposite sides, and a spline seated in one of said grooves and adapted to be received by an opposite groove of another unit laid adjacent said unit on a floor.

4. As an article of manufacture, a unit of flooring comprising a plurality of members disposed side by side and` composed each of a plurality of blocks, means for slidably engaging a block of one member with a block of the other grooves on opposite sides of engaged bloc s, splines to be received by grooves of adjacent units on a floor, diagonal recesses in selected blocks, and nails inserted in the recesses and perforating the recessed blocks and penetrating a block engaged thereby. Y

5. Asan article of manufacture, a unit of flooring comprising mated members disposed side by side, a member composed of a plurality of blocks, dovetailing means of associatin spaced recesses projected diagonally into the exterior side thereof, and nails inserted into the recesses axially thereof and perforating the said member and penetrating the other member, the heads of the nails being spaced ,from the closure walls of the recesses.

6. In a fabricated floor, units comprisin paired members composed of a plurality o the members, a member having- :,osmsa B staggered blocks dovetailed together and having grooves in their opposite sides, selected blocks of one member having rec projected on horizontal diagonal lmels and oratnails inserted thorugh said recesses pe ing said selected blocks and penetrating adjacent. blocks of the .other member, and

splines receivable by grooves of adjacent 1 units, said recesses and nails being die? so that the nails majr be caused to per orate said penetrated blocks and penetrate diagonally blocks of adjacent units of a floor.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

CHARLES J. CARTER. 

